Ladies night – vintage meets present edition

What’s life without friends? And what’s life without some vintage glamour? As you know I am not a morning person. And every now and then it’s time to do stuff that you would only do with your lady friends: ladies night! However, don’t have a typical ladies night. Go retro! As a true night owl I can tell you that I would take the night part very literally…So here is a little guide for a typical retro ladies night!

Classic Hollywood movie night & retro series

What’s a ladies night without a good movie? We’re obviously going vintage and retro on this ladies night. For example with a good Classic Hollywood movie. (If you don’t want to watch a Classic Hollywood movie with me, we can’t be friends). Now we all know Breakfast at Tiffany’s, but I would recommend movies like Some Like it Hot, Gentlemen prefer blondes or Roman Holiday. Even hilarious if you watch it for the 5th time. If you’re more in the mood for serious thriller business, Hitchcock movies are always a good idea. Also, let’s not forget the ultimate retro serie: Mad Men. Or…watch a real vintage show! I would totally recommend the I Love Lucy show. Still hilarious more than 60 years later!

Vintage hair & makeup

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you know that I really adore the vintage hair, fashion and makeup styles. 50 years ago it was perfectly normal to show up at work with your seamed stockings, (long or lace) gloves (every season of the year), flowers, pinup curls in a haze of hairspray, some more hairspray and ofcourse wiggle dresses and skirts. Nowadays the world has turned upside down…Casual is mostly the standard. I love casual when I am having my dvd marathon (days and) nights at home, but for the rest I like it more vintage chic. That’s why I always like to add a hint of vintage glamour to my work outfits and for me every day is red lipstick day. However, on a night like this or any other weekend night there are no strings attached. You can go all the way with your victory rolls, glamour pin-up hairstyles, floriental finger waves and fake lashes. Share your style and give each other tips to achieve a (new) vintage glamour look. This is actually the perfect moment to practice new makeup and hairstyles, so you know how to do it faster next time.

The advantage: if your ladies night is on a Friday or Saturday night, you can easily make it a ladies night out. Thanks to the amount of hairspray in your vintage hair it might also survive an autumn storm (true story). And let’s face it. If your hair looks that good, it needs to be seen in public. Or make a shameless selfie (unless ofcourse your new makeup look or hairstyle didn’t work out as you planned).

Drinks

All time classic Cocktails are a retro lady’s best friend. A few years ago I had a cocktail workshop. Back then I made the famous Cosmopolitan, but on a vintage night like this we’re obviously going back in time. For example by making you guest a classic Martini cocktail, shaken not stirred. Or the French 75 – the cocktail that you may remember from the movie Casablanca, 1942. This cocktail was named after French artillery and has vintage glamour all over. A little bit of sugar and a little bit of “Here’s looking at you kid”. On the other hand, a good old wine is also fine… Cheers!

Food

Back in the old days, women would already have prepared everything and guests only had to show up, sit down, relax and…eat. I would go for the vintage meets present way if I would organise a retro ladies night at my place: let my guests feel so much at home, that they will offer to cook for me. Just kidding. Cook together! Very vintage meets present! You can look for an old-fashioned vintage dinner recipe, but ofcourse you have to make sure that everyone likes it.

Vintage music & retro bands

From rock and roll to jazz. A lot of classics were made during the previous midcentury. Music also has its nostalgic magic. Sometimes because of a memory that’s related to a song and sometimes you just remember the good old days when you grew up with certain music. Also let your guests play the music they like. Let the good vibes roll. Also very Vintage meets Present. I have my rock and roll playlist, but retro bands/singers like Postmodern Jukebox and Si Cranstoun are also a great idea! Don’t forget to move. Do the twist or swing dance. If you don’t know how: youtube is your greatest teacher these days.

Clothes swap

Do you have (retro) clothes (or shoes) or any other accessories that have been hanging in the back of your closet for more than a year? Do you finally realise that you can live with one wiggle skirt/dress less? Then you can organize some time for your own little clothes swap event. The good news: you can make someone else happy with it, in this case your friends. It also cleans up your closet. But don’t worry: if all your guests bring their own package of clothes-to-get-rid-off, your closet might be full again in no time. And if you really do have a ladies night out, you have a nice new (retro) outfit. See, it’s a win-win situation.

Storytelling

Last but not least, nothing beats a good story. If you’re in good company, the good stories will come automatically. And it can be about anything: from sharing your Classic Hollywood favorites to those vintage meets present irritation & appreciation moments or the origin of your vintage fascination. So go vintage & retro on your next ladies night. Have fun!

Hi there! Thanks for stopping by. You stumbled upon my very Vintage meets Present corner of the online world. Bringing back the good vibes of the old days and appreciating the present modern times. I write about my oriental meets retro lifestyle, fascination for Classic Hollywood, vintage music and other inspirational brain flashes that hit me every now and then.

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